zlacker

>>exitb+(OP)
> Oh help me! Oh, help me! My life is in danger!

> Oh help me! Oh, help me! My life is in danger!

> The venomous monster is drawing upon me

> And I can’t escape him.

> How near is his bite,

> With teeth sharp and white!

> Oh gods above!

> Why can’t you hear my mortal cry?

> Destroy the beast or I will die!

> Or surely, I will die!

The opening lines to The Magic Flute (which continues in a similarly expository tone for the duration). Seems like there have always been scripts which were easy to understand while also staring at your phone, though that doesn't stop the ushers at English National Opera getting narky at you if you try!

>>Andrew+ef
Those lines are from a song, and a significant part of the audience at the time wouldn't be listening in their native language; it's not really a fair comparison.

>>cynica+sk
? It was written in German for the German-speaking audience in Vienna.

>>relaxi+Jl
Vienna was an international city; and Mozart and Shickhander were seeking international fame. The Magic Flute was a relatively low-brow 'singspiel' in the native language but its creators wanted foreigners to be able to see it and like it. (It was common for the wealthy and educated to speak many languages, not necessarily very well.) In music history you see critics criticize some operas for being difficult to understand, and remarking if the audience seemed lost.

International audiences nonwithstanding, it's just hard for many people to hear song lyrics, and a very common choice to make song lyrics simple, and hearing lyrics is critical for opera in a way it isn't if you're singing Goethe at a small salon concert.

The original point is it's silly to compare opera lyrics to spoken dialogue. Songs with belabored and repetitive lyrics can easily be interesting, spoken word with this property is banal.